Guiding questions
The political system and sectional interests in 1820
In 1820, America was split over slavery. Even though there weren't separate north and southern parties, slavery was a big deal in politics. The government had different branches like the senate, which protected states' rights, especially those of slave states. The Supreme Court had the power, but didn't really use it much. Slavery cause a lot of argument about other stuff too, like taxes and how much power the government should have. Basically, slavery was a huge deal that divided the Country and made politics really complicated in 1820.
The issue of Kansas and its impact
Okay, so there was this big problem about whether new territories in America should allow slavery or not. Back in 1820, they said Missouri could have slavery, but only above a certain line. Then in the 1850s, they wanted to make new territories, like Nebraska, and people couldn't agree if they should be slave or free. So, they made this new rule where the people in each territory could vote to decide. But some people didn't like that because they thought it would let slavery spread too much. This made a lot of people really mad, especially in the North. So, they started fighting about it in a place called Kansas. And because of all this fighting, a new political party called the Republicans became really popular, especially in the North. And that's basically how it all happened, like a big, messy fight that changed everything.
The impact of territorial expansion: Westward Expansion and absorption of Texas
America believed it was destined to expand Westward, which led to taking over Texas in 1845 and a war with Mexico. This made the Country much bigger, adding over a million square kilometers. But it caused arguments about whether new states should allow slavery. The Wilmot Proviso tried to stop slavery in these new areas but failed. Meanwhile, lots of people were moving west for jobs and lands. This growth changed the country a lot a made tensions between North and South worse, eventually leading to the civil war.
Changes in the party-political system
The Whig Party disappeared because of big arguments about slavery in the 1850s. When the government approved the Nebraska Bill in 1854, it split the Whigs. Some joined other parties, like the American Party, because they blamed the Whigs for the Nebraska Act. The people who didn't like slavery in the North formed a new party called the Republican Party. They wanted to stop slavery from spreading. Even though they were new, they did pretty well in the 1856 elections, showing that the political system was changing.
Attempts at Compromise
Between 1820 & 1820, there were several attempts to deal with the issue of slavery. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was the first major one, where Missouri wanted to become a state, but the question was whether it would be free or slave. They settled on admitting Missouri as a slave state, but also admitting Maine as a free state to maintain balance. Additionally a line was drawn above which there would be no slavery in lands acquired from the Louisiana Purchase. This compromise was brokered by Henry Clay to prevent Civil War. The two major policial parties at the time, Democrates and whigs, had different views on slavery and the role of the federal government.
Signficance of states' rights
States' rights were a big deal in the 1800s because people argued over how much power the states should have compared to the federal government. Some thought states should have a lot of say in their own laws, even to the point of leaving the USA if they wanted. This became especially important for the South because they wanted to protect their way of life, including slavery. The North, on the other hand, was growing faster and had different ideas about things like slavery. This disagreement got bigger and bigger, leading to tension between the North and South. Eventually, it became one of the main reasons the Southern states decided to leave the Union.
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 tried to fix problems about slavery in the U.S. It involved decisions about new states, borders, and runaway slaves. A guy named Senator Stephen Douglas helped make it happen. They agreed that California could join as a free state and that other places could decide about slavery for themselves. But, even though they tried to make everyone happy, things kept getting worse, and the compromise didn't last. It showed how hard it was to keep everyone in the country happy when they disagreed about big issues like slavery.
Texas
Texas used to be part of Mexico, but many people from the USA moved there. They wanted to be part of the USA because they felt safer. So, Texas became its own country in 1836 and then joined the USA as a state in 1845. They got to keep their borders and have slavery. Texas became the 28th state of the USA.
Problems arising from the Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 didn't make everyone happy, especially about the Fugitive Slave Act. It caused fights in the North and made people angrier about slavery. A lady named Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book called Uncle Tom's Cabin that made people even more upset about slavery. Some people in the North didn't want to follow the law, and they helped slaves escape to freedom using something called the Underground Railroad. Overall, the compromise made things worse instead of better.